Treating petroleum oils with ultra-violet light.



O. ELLIS. ETROLEUM. OILS WITH ULTRA-VIOLET LIGHT.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.10,I913.

TREATING I 1,089,359, Patented Mar. 3, 1914.

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TREATING PETROLEUM Specification of Letters latent.

A. CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

OILS WITH ULTRA-VIOLET LIGHT.

Patented Mar. 3, 1914.

Application filed September 10. 1913. Serial No. 789,072.

To all 10710111 it may concern:

Be itknown that I, CARLETON Ennis. a citizen of the United States, and a resident of lilontelair, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Treating Petroleum-Oils with Ultra-Violet Light, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a. method of treating petroleum oil to improve its quality andrelates in particular to the treatment of heavy oils such as cylinder oil, spindle oils and other lubricating oils by ultra. violet light to remove fluorescence or bloom, or to otherwise improve its nature.

"he exposure of petrolcun oil having a considerable degree of fluorescence to powerful ultra violet rays destroys such fluorescence and renders the oil more marketable. Some oils by such exposure are rcddened in color or otherwise slightly darkened, while still other oils are bleachedby such treatment. In other words, ultra violet rays have a special action on the bodies producing fluorescence so that exposure thereto accomplishes the removal of fluorescence without resorting to the action of powerful reagents or chemical (ls-blooming agents which in some cases are held to impair the quality of oils for lubricating purposes. As an illustration, a paraflin oil of about 32 B. having a pronounced greenish fluorescence was exposed in a thin layer to the action of ultra violet light emanating from a mercury lamp quartz tube operating at 150 volts. After exposure in this manner the oil was found to be completely freed from bloom. The temperature of the oil during such exposure may be varied and when the action of the light tends to darken the oil it is usually desirable to keep the temperature low at say room temperature, or lower, by means of cooling agents. On the other hand, some oils are capable of standing a much higher temperature under such circumstances and the temperature may. therefore, be raised even up to the flash point of the oil or higher to secure the desired results. The oil may be surrounded by an inert gas such as nitrogen when so exposed in order to avoid oxidation due to contact with air, when such oxi dation is undesirable. Petroleum oils and the like which tend to gum when used as lubricants are when treated with ultra violet light more or less improved in this respect as the gumming agents apparently polymerize form1ng saturated from unsaturated bodies and thereby become useful lubricants; In the presence of air some oxidation may likewise occur, so after exposure to ultra violet light the bloom may be destroyed as above set forth and the gum-forming bodies polymerized sometimes with slight darkening of the oil so the product-may then, if desired. be subjected to the usual refining and filtering methods now employed in the petroleum oil industry. Low voltage light is not as satisfactory for the present purpose as high voltage radiation and preferably I operate at a voltage of 150 or over in order to secure those particular rays which are most effective for the present purpose. It may be added that the ultra violet light of high voltage, that is from say 150 volts to 500 volts and upward, contains ultra violet rays of such intensity and of such a character that the action of the latter on oils appears to be of a specific nature. The heat which emanates from such high voltage lamps is very considerable and when the oil is placed near such a light the oil material may become heated above its decomposition point so that deep seated reactions may take place deleterious to the oil involving carbonization and the like, hence the temperature should be regulated for any given oil with respect to its behavior under these powerful light rays so that the action of removal of fluorescence may take place selectively, or if desired, the polymerization or conversion of gum-forming constituents without altering the oil in its other properties to any material degree. While the apparatus employed for the treatment of oils in this manner may be of a very variable character ranging from simple to quite complex structures, a suitable form of apparatus is shown in an illustrative manner in the accompanying drawing, which shows the apparatus in vertical section, with means for the admission of gases to produce any desired atmosphere in contact with the oil. I

In the drawing 1 is a chamber in which is suspended the ultra violet light 2.

3 is an inlet and 4: an outlet for oil, which gil may be maintained at the level indicated 6 is an inlet and 7 an outlet for special gaseous material when same is employed.

In operating this apparatus to carry out the present invention the oil which is to be' exposed to ultra violet light is allowed to enter the zone of action by the pipe 3 and passing through this zone becomes suitably modified and is withdrawn by the outlet cock 4. If desired the circulation of gaseous material may be maintained by forcing the latter into the chamber through the outlet 6 and withdrawing it through the outlet 7. The temperature may be adjusted by admitting a heating or cooling medium into the chamber regulating jacket 8.

at I claim is:

1. The process of treating heavy petroleum oil which comprises exposing such 011 in thin layers and at a temperature regulated to avoid deep-seated decomposition of the oil, to the action of ultra violet light of high intensity; whereby said oil becomes debloomed and gum-forming products become polymerized.

2. The process of treating petroleum oil which comprises exposing the same to the rays of ultra violet. light to destroy fluorescence and in maintaining the temperature of the oil below the decomposition point.

8. The process of treating fluorescent oils to destroy fluorescence which comprises exposing the same to the action of ultra violet light whereby said fluorescence is destroyed.

4-. The process of treating oils containing gum-forming components to render said oil adap as lubricants which comprises exosing said oils to the action of ultra violet iight of high voltage, whereby the gumforming agents become polymerized.

5. The process of treating fluorescent oils to remove theirfluorescence which com rises exposing said fluorescent oils in thin ayers to the action of ultra violet of relatively high voltage and in maintaining the temperature below the point at whi deleterious changes occur.

6. The process of treating mineral oil to improve its quality which comprises exposing said oil to the action of ultra violet light.

Signed at Montclair in the coun of Essex and State of New Jersey this 6th day of September A. D. 1913.

. CARLETON ELLIS. Witnesses:

B. M. ELLIS, N. L. Foam 

